By Stacen Goldman, FHC Curator
May 28, 2020
Reading David’s reflections on his family history really hits home that when we read the words of our ancestors, we turn them into time travelers. There on the paper, they reach out to us from the past to say, “Yes, it’s me, I am here.” I can’t help but wonder what people will think in 100 years when they read the entries in my line-a-day Pandemic journal. It’s interesting to look at this week in early April from that perspective:
| Week of: | 3/29/2020 | |||||||||
| Su | 3/29/2020 | Took A to the FHC today, wanted to drop off a package that was just sitting in my house, and thought it would be nice to get her out somewhere else, even though no other people were there. She had a great time. Other than that it was a real up and down day. Successful video chat with one of her friends, less successful virtual Musical Theater class. Exercise may be the only thing that is keeping me sane now. Am I going to come out of this healthier than I went in?!?! | ||||||||
| M | 3/30/2020 | A lot of positive experiences today, but still so exhausted. Baked some disappointing cookies with A. staged a circus and a wedding, went on a walk with the wagon. Keep rehashing the same argument with E about how much we should be paying a preschool we’re not using. | ||||||||
| Tu | 3/31/2020 | Recording this a day late because I went to bed at 8 PM last night. I was too beat to last much longer. | ||||||||
| W | 4/1/2020 | E started PT for his shoulder, which has gotten really bad. All additional interactions with other people are totally anxiety inducing now. | ||||||||
| Th | 4/2/2020 | A went to bed an hour early. B went to bed an hour late. Overall effect was that each went down at the other’s bed time. Actually felt like a pretty successful day. Somehow feeling professionally accomplished and like I’ve struck a better balance between work and the kids. | ||||||||
| F | 4/3/2020 | E’s birthday. I didn’t get to exercise but this was truly a good day. Great time with the kids, feeling relaxed. Made a pantry birthday cake, and it looks surprisingly good. Went to Emma’s to pick up a lasagna for dinner. I felt really good about it because the ownder seemed incredibly grateful for the business. I really love that place and want to do all I can to help them get through this. | ||||||||
| Sa | 4/4/2020 | Couldn’t take it anymore, cut my own hair. Need to remember to get a stylist when this is all over | ||||||||
| WEEKLY REFLECTIONS | ||||||||||
| Sometimes I feel like we’ve struck on something kind of like a routine, but it never actually feels comfortable, or like it’s fully working. Just because I’ve figured out how to work a daily workout into my day doesn’t mean I feel like I’ve succeeded in establishing a good system for getting through this. |
Although it’s impossible to divorce my own memories from these words, I can still see from a professional perspective how these entries humanize a moment dominated by statistics, economics, and medical terminology. Homemade haircuts, pantry birthday cakes, trying to keep our beloved local businesses afloat – these are the minutiae of the Pandemic experience that could be lost to future generations without our own efforts to preserve them. For weeks I faithfully wrote daily entries, only to lose the thread as work, childcare, and the daily news cycle began to overwhelm me. David’s post has brought the importance of the project back home and I intend to begin journaling again this evening.
How have you been recording your pandemic experience? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Maybe your experience only exists in the camera roll of your phone, maybe only in your Netflix watch list. No matter how much or how little you’re recording at this moment in time, the FHC is interested in your experiences. To donate to the COVID-19 digital archive, or get access to our Pandemic Journal Project template, visit http://framinghamhistory.org/covid19/. Even if you don’t choose to share your photos or journal with the FHC, we hope you will find your own ways of documenting and processing your experience of this uncertain moment. Good luck and stay safe out there Framingham!